As the defending champ, Andy Murray might have expected a bit of an easier time in his first match, but the draw determines all and for Murray that meant a date with a very tough Belgian in Xavier Malisse.

Malisse, coming off an upset of No. 7 ranked Tomas Berdych at a tournament in Washington last week, gave Murray everything he could handle in the first set before falling 7-5.

Murray then coasted to an easy 6-2 win for a straight sets victory.

“Think he was up 5‑4, 30‑Love, and played a couple of very good points, and then, yeah, after that he played a bad game at 6‑5,” Murray said of the moment the match swung in his favour.

Momentum

“I didn’t really have to do much for the break there, but yeah, that changed the momentum and then I carried on at the beginning of the second.”

Murray seemed to be suggesting he’s not feeling all that well right now although he did describe his play as “decent.”

Asked about what he needs to work on as the tournament progresses, the No. 4 seed replied: “I need to have a little bit more energy ... just be more energetic from the start.

“Sometimes when you aren’t feeling your best, you need to force yourself to move and really put emphasis on your footwork, and I’ll probably do that tomorrow.”

Facing hard-hitting Frenchman Gael Monfils, he had better or the defending champ might just make an early exit.